Leave No Doubt: A Very Unscientific Look at Notre Dame’s 2026 Schedule
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I don’t make Notre Dame football predictions. There are several reasons for this, the most important being that I am a Notre Dame fan and therefore understand that whatever I predict will almost certainly become my fault.
Predict 12-0? Loss. Call a game a “sure thing”? You’ve doomed us all. Say, “I’m really not worried about this one”? Congratulations. You have just created four hours of unnecessary Saturday afternoon stress for Notre Dame fans everywhere.
So, no. I don’t do predictions.
But…
Have you looked at this schedule?
Because I have. And I’m trying very, very hard not to say something out loud.
If there is an unofficial theme for the 2026 Notre Dame football season, I can’t think of a better one than this: Leave No Doubt.
And yes, I even bought a “Leave No Doubt” T-shirt, so I am 100 percent drinking the Kool-Aid at this point. Apparently, I’ve gone from “I don’t make predictions because they’re bad luck” to literally wearing my optimism on my chest.
But I’m still not making a prediction.
Let’s be very clear about that.
Last season, the Irish started 0-2 and then did just about everything they could possibly do to fix it. They won 10 straight games to finish the regular season 10-2—and then watched the College Football Playoff without them.
There were arguments about schedules and résumés and rankings and quality wins and quality losses and all of the other things college football fans spend entirely too much time arguing about.
This year? How about we skip all of that.
Leave no doubt.
I’m not predicting 12-0.
I’m just saying that 12-0 is sitting there looking awfully tempting.
The adventure begins September 6 against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, because apparently opening the season somewhere normal would be boring. Notre Dame. Wisconsin. Lambeau Field. Sunday night. Primetime. There will be no easing into this season.
Then it’s home to Notre Dame Stadium for Rice before an old friend comes calling: Michigan State. For the first time since 2017, the Irish and Spartans will play for the Megaphone Trophy, and I’m pretty excited to see this rivalry return to the schedule.
From there, the Irish head down the road to Purdue before traveling to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina. Stanford comes to South Bend next, followed by a trip to Provo to face BYU.
At this point, I’d like to remind everyone that I AM NOT MAKING PREDICTIONS.
Then comes a perfectly timed bye week before Notre Dame heads to Gillette Stadium to face Navy on Halloween.
And then November arrives.
This is where things get interesting.
Miami comes to Notre Dame Stadium for a Saturday night rematch, and I suspect there may be a few feelings involved in that one. Boston College follows, which means another chapter in the Holy War. Then SMU comes to South Bend for Senior Night—the first meeting between the programs since 1989—before Notre Dame heads to Syracuse to close the regular season.
Twelve games. Plenty of history. Plenty of rivalries. Plenty of opportunities.
And absolutely no reason for me to make any predictions whatsoever.
None.
Zero.
I have learned my lesson.
Mostly.
Because here’s where I get myself into trouble. When you look at this Notre Dame team and then look at this schedule, it’s difficult not to wonder.
What if?
What if Notre Dame takes care of business at Lambeau? What if the Irish navigate those early rivalry games? What if they survive Provo? What if Miami comes into Notre Dame Stadium on November 7 and the Irish have a little unfinished business waiting for them?
And what if Notre Dame reaches Thanksgiving weekend with nothing left to prove to a committee?
I’m not predicting it.
I’m merely pointing out that the possibility exists.
There’s a difference.
At least that’s what I’m telling myself.
After last season, though, maybe that’s exactly the mentality Notre Dame needs. Don’t worry about projections. Don’t worry about rankings. Don’t worry about what the committee thinks. Don’t leave your fate in someone else’s hands.
Win.
And then win again.
Leave no doubt.
As we get ready to trade offseason speculation for actual football, I also want to hear from you. Which game on this year’s schedule are YOU most looking forward to? Wisconsin at Lambeau? The return of Michigan State? Miami under the lights? Navy on Halloween? Something else entirely?
And while we’re at it, I could use your help with Throwback Thursday this fall.
We’ve spent the offseason revisiting games from Notre Dame’s past, and once the season begins I’d love to start tying Throwback Thursday to that week’s opponent. So tell me: Which Notre Dame games from the past would you like me to revisit during the season?
Maybe it’s a forgotten Michigan State classic. A Purdue game you’ll never forget. A great Navy matchup. A Stanford heart-stopper. Or maybe it’s one of those games that nobody talks about anymore but you remember exactly where you were when it happened.
Give me the year, the game, the moment—or even just the memory. Maybe your suggestion will become one of this fall’s Throwback Thursdays.
As for my prediction for the 2026 season?
I’m sticking with the safest one I’ve got:
September 6 can’t get here soon enough.
Go Irish. And leave no doubt.
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